“Shhh,” Stephan crooned, rubbing my back as he helped me to sit. My hands went to the sides of my head and squeezed in an attempt to keep the room from spinning. “It’s okay. I think you might have had a little too much to drink tonight, Alexis. Let’s get you on up to bed, huh?”
“You’re really nice,” I offered as he walked me through the crowd and helped to guide me up the treacherous stairs. “This one,” I said, pointing to Colton’s bedroom door.
“Fowler’s room, huh?” He eyed me skeptically.
I shrugged, rolling my eyes. “It’s nothing. Trust me. We’ve been sleeping together since we were babies.”
Stephan’s brows shot straight up, and he chuckled at my poor word choice.
I slapped my palm to my forehead. “Like in the same bed. Not like...you know...”
He touched a finger to my lips. “I knew what you meant.”
“I know.” I paused to hiccup. “I know it seems weird to most people, but we’re like brother and sister.” I nodded, feeling bile rise in my throat. I didn’t have any siblings, but I knew without a doubt that what I felt for Colton was anything but sisterly.
“Well, in that case...” His face lit up. Gosh, he was so handsome. “Can I take you out tomorrow night?”
“I’d love that,” I said a little too eagerly as I sat on the bed to remove my shoes. Colton wouldn’t be happy. That thought brought a smile to my lips.
“Great, I’ll pick you up at five?”
“It’s a date,” I answered just as Colton came barreling through the door. His eyes went first to me, sitting on the bed. Seeming satisfied to find that I was still clothed, he turned his attention to Stephan. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing with my girl in my fucking room?”
Stephan’s lips curled into a smirk. “Your girl, huh? Funny, that’s not the story I heard from Alexis here.” His head tipped in my direction. “Tell me, Fowls, while she’s been crying on my shoulder for the last hour...where were you?”
Colton’s face fell.
“Yeah...How’s Lyla?” Stephan snarled, shaking his head. Colton said nothing. What could he say? “That’s what I thought...I’ll see you tomorrow, pretty girl.”
I nodded my head with new tears streaming down my cheeks as Stephan shouldered past Colton on his way out.
The room was quiet after Stephan left, aside from my sniveling and Colton’s heavy breaths. He kept looking at me...glaring at me. What the fuck did he have any right to be angry over?
I got up from the bed, stumbling over to the dresser to grab a tank top and shorts to sleep in. Acting as if Colt was not even in the room, I went about my business, setting my clothes on the bed and fighting to free myself from the dress that I’d taken off and on so many times with ease just a few hours ago. Stupid alcohol.
Warm fingers grazed my skin as Colton’s hand appeared at my back, sliding the zipper down my dress. My whole body quaked at his touch, traitorous bitch that she was. I closed my eyes and visions of he and Lyla on the couch came back, making it easier to ignore his effect on me. I slipped the spaghetti straps down my arms, allowing the dress to pool at my feet.
Colt’s breath hitched behind me, and I ignored that too, taking my time to cover the breasts I could feel him staring at. I was just drunk enough not to care that he was seeing me naked. After slipping the top over my head, I bent to step into my shorts and nearly fell on my face when there was a loud thud. My head jerked up at the sound, finding Colton kicking and punching the door.
Had I not been so inebriated, I probably would have gone to him and attempted to soothe his anger. As it was, I couldn’t give two shits about his feelings. On second thought, maybe the alcohol wasn’t so stupid after all. “You about done with your tantrum yet?” I snapped, climbing in between the cool sheets and resting my head on his feather pillow.
The noise stopped, probably due to his shock over the lack of fucks that I had to give. Maybe I should drink more often. I kinda liked me drunk.
Colton’s face turned and his bloodshot eyes locked on mine.
“Get in bed or get the fuck out. I’m drunk; I’m tired; I’m horny, and I’m fucking done. Got it?” I was so proud of myself for not shedding a single tear.
His green eyes narrowed to slits, and his jaw ticked. Colt stared at me for a long moment before nodding his head, grabbing his clothes, and closing himself up in the bathroom.
I tried like hell to fall asleep before he returned, to no avail. When I heard the telltale clicking of the bathroom lock, I laid deathly still with my eyes shut tight. I didn’t move a muscle as he entered at the foot of the bed and crawled up to lay beside me. I bit my lips to keep from crying with a broken heart when I felt him snuggle into my back and his arm snaked around my waist, pulling me closer to his chest. And I swear that I stopped breathing altogether when I felt his lips press a kiss on the back of my shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Allie,” he whispered into the silence.
Sober Allie would have cracked. But drunk Allie...she had her fucks on lockdown tonight.
Long after Colton passed out, I laid awake in his arms with silent tears pooling beneath my face and the scent of Lyla’s perfume lingering on his skin.
COLTON
ALLIE...I’D SEEN HER CRY plenty of times throughout our lives, but never like this. Not even the night before I left for California was it this brutal.
I knew that she thought I was asleep...But how could I sleep with her body shuddering against me? I’d gone too far, barging in here like I had any right to dictate what she did or whom she did it with. I’d humiliated her. This had to stop. I was so fucking in love with her that it was making me crazy. The one thing I knew without hesitation was that I didn’t want to ever hurt Alex, yet somehow that’s all I’d been doing since she arrived.
“Morning, Al,” I greeted when her eyes finally fluttered open.
“Hey,” she said, stretching her arms and legs. “What time is it?”
“A little after ten.”
She rose up onto an elbow, reaching to the side table for her phone. I watched as her eyes scanned over her messages, widening before she threw herself back onto the bed with a dramatic groan.
“Um...everything all right there?” I asked, curious.
“I’m never drinking again,” she whined, swinging her forearm to cover her eyes. The stretching motion caused the bottom of her shirt to rise up, exposing her flat stomach.
That little glimpse had memories of Alex’s strip tease the night before racing through my head. My heart was pounding. I moved the blanket to cover the tent in my boxers before licking the pad of a finger and wet-willying her bellybutton.
“Colton!” she shrieked, tugging her shirt down and squinting her eyes at me.
“Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” I shrugged, laughing into my hand. I had to do something. If she’d only known how close I was to running my tongue over her body instead.